April 6, 2015
Ft Pierce to Melbourne Beach
Today we woke early and broke camp before the sun was fully up. This is a good routine to be in when touring, and something we should start now that we are beyond the "party" piece of the state. So we were on the road looking for breakfast by 7:30 or so.
The only game in town (unfortunately) was a Wendy's, but, incredibly, this particular Wendy's, which we were counting on for breakfast, did not open till 10:30 AM! Fortunately, there was a Publix nearby, and we loaded up on fruit and a few cinnamon buns from their "bakery." Not a perfect start, but energy nonetheless. Then a quick stop at the nearby CVS for Happy to buy some Sudafed, and we were almost on our way.
Then rain! A heavy rain with the sun fully out. I decided to change to a short-sleeved jersey so I could wear a rain jacket (or ride without one). It stopped shortly afterward, and we pushed off eastward across the channel and into the wind.
And just in time to catch the bridge opening, whose alarm sounded just as we passed the gate. I picked up my speed to race across the span and experienced serious chain slippage on the rear cassette. This was compounded by the slight grade. Eventually it grabbed, and I pushed across, surprised Happy was right behind me.
As with the previous days coming up the shore, once you are on the barrier isles, the roads are calmer, have fewer businesses, more residential buildings, and plenty of bike lanes. At our first stop, I consulted with Happy, and we both agreed we should hunt down a bike shop once we were in Vero, about 13 miles up the road. During that ride I maintained a good speed (we had a partial tailwind) but I experienced a couple of chain slips along the way.
After doing some virtual hunting and making a few calls, Alan's Bicycle Center said they would take a walk-in. This turned out to be a good choice, as Alan is a wonderful man and his crew are friendly and dedicated. After some discussion about the problem and examination of a few components, we decided the rear cassette and chain should be replaced. Pretty simple actually, and that was done in less than an hour. But when I reloaded the bike and took off, the front chainring would not grab at all. So I returned to the shop and had that replaced. Due to the age of my bike, they needed to replace the bottom bracket as well in order to get an in-stock chainring to work.
So, one thing led to another. A slipping chain led to a new rear cassette, a new chain, a new chainring, then a new bottom bracket to accommodate the chainring. And about $240 later I was good to go. We pushed off about 1:00 PM, grabbed lunch, and headed north. What a long story!
We reached the Melbourne Beach Motel by 5:30 after crossing the Sebastian Inlet but had to ride south again for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 551 miles (887 km)
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